Cover photo for Roland Brooks McKinley's Obituary
Roland Brooks McKinley Profile Photo
1942 Brooks 2023

Roland Brooks McKinley

November 23, 1942 — December 22, 2023

Ronan

Roland Brooks McKinley, 81, passed away on Friday, December 22, 2023, at his home in Ronan, Montana after a brief battle with lung cancer. He was born on November 23, 1942, in Dodson, Montana, the son of Lawrence and Thelma (Hart) McKinley. Brooks lived his early years in Harlem and Savoy, Montana with his parents and his three sisters and two brothers.

Brooks, as he was known by family and friends, ran the Pablo Bar for 23 years.  He loved the bar and the people that came in. Prior to the bar, he farmed and ranched in some of the most beautiful country in Montana – Charlo, Lost Prairie, Fort Shaw, Sun River, Geyser – and spent three years farming in northern Minnesota.

Brooks was a reader and history lover who always won the Trivial Pursuit yellow pie slice immediately. He loved to meet new people and get their stories, and rarely found someone whose people he did not know – especially if they had roots in eastern Montana. An animal lover, Brooks doted on many spoiled dogs, cats and cows over his lifetime.

Brooks was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Marlis Walls, and brothers, Lawrence and Ted McKinley.

 Brooks is survived by his sisters, Donna Schultz and Jetta McKinley, his wife of 56 years, Gloria McKinley, children Lawrence “Tater” McKinley and Rebel McKinley, three granddaughters, one grandson, and two great-grandsons.

Brooks has chosen to be cremated, and his ashes will be spread in his beloved Montana countryside at a later date.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Roland Brooks McKinley, please visit our flower store.

Guestbook

Visits: 183

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Send Flowers

Send Flowers

Plant A Tree

Plant A Tree